


forgive, forgive, forget

by Anonymous



Category: Oxenfree (Video Game)
Genre: Character Study, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:48:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22179589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Jonas and Alex, time after time, loop after loop.
Relationships: Alex & Jonas (Oxenfree)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 34
Collections: Anonymous





	forgive, forgive, forget

**Author's Note:**

> warnings for severe disconnections from reality by the characters, canon-typical horror, mentions of hallucinations and depictions of trauma related to canon events
> 
> this is not romantic between jonas and alex and anyone who ships them should not read this because i genuinely cant stand you freaks on here

“Hello, again,” she says. Jonas can't believe his ears.

On the ferry, she'd looked confused, lost. Like she was forgetting something important. But with each step, each movement forward, she’d looked more sure, more weary.

Jonas had wandered into the cave, and then there they were, edge of a freshwater pool, her looking as if the world was going to bits around her. Knuckles white, clutched tight at the edge of the radio. Feet firm, pressed into the water-worn dirt.

“Hello again,” she says once more to the void within the triangle, like it's a friend, like it's not ethereal and satanic and all these horrible things and it's making his skin crawl, crawl, crawl, little insects under the surface, scuttling about.

_It's you again,_ they say, the void says. _You_ **_CA - A - A ME_ ** _back, dear._

“As ever,” his step-sister says. This isn't the script, he finds himself thinking. He doesn't know why. She sounds sad. She sounds lonely.

_It'll_ **_A LL_ ** _be over so_ **_ON_** , they say, almost soothingly, almost surreptitiously. It's a lullaby for a god, their voice.

“No,” she sighs, hands heavy. “We both know that's not true.”

And it-

“Hello again,” she says, and he can't fucking breathe, he's begging to whatever gods don't exist for this to end, he's infested- infested- infested-

_Just_ **_S TOP_** , they say and there's bugs in him, there's bugs in his skin, there's demons inside his lungs and it needs to get out get it out get it out anyone anyone please please please-

_Stop trying,_ says the Cold War announcer, inside his reverberating skull, Jonas is gasping for air, he’s sweating and pulsing and there is something very, very wrong.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

**We don't want you.**

He's crying. He's crying. Red, red, red fills him up like cherry cough syrup, drink your medicine boy, drink up, drink up.

_WHERE IS THE GIRL WHERE IS THE GIRL BLUE HAIR BLUE HAIR BRAVE GIRL YOU ARE NOT WHAT WE WANTED,_ they scream at him, sharp static like bumblebees in his brain.

“Please,” he says, he _begs_ , “I just want my mom.”

_Fetch,_ they chant, _Fetch! Fetch! Fetch!_

They're in the cave, hands clasped around a radio, white knuckles, Alex is sad, so sad.

The void stares at him, skin prickling, and it hurts, it really does.

This isn't in the script.

**_WE DIDN’T W A N T TO DIE_ **

he's s

he's screaming

he's

“I'm so tired,” she cries at the void, and the void is crying back, Jonas is

“please,” he sobs, “alex, no, no, n

“Hello again,” she says.

His palms are sweating. He doesn't know why. Why is Alex being so calm? There are- there are ghosts, in that tear, and this _isn't part of the script_. How is she doing this? Why is she doing this?

“Alex,” he says, hands shaking.

_Bob tail,_ they say, _shave tail, sleepy time gal._

There are tears in her eyes. Why is she crying? This is scary, but she just looks alone, like this is an old evil in her brain, not something new- her knuckles have gone white around the radio’s edge, she's crying.

Cough syrup in his lungs, sloshing about, a ukelele song in the void, it hurts.

“I forgive you,” she says, and Alex is crying. The void is howling, infinite, impossible, sharp.

_Anna,_ they say, almost lovingly, caressing her cheek, softly, cough syrup in their lack of lungs. _You should just_ **_G i ve_ ** _up. It would be_ **_Easy- Easy- Easier._ **

Jonas doesn't understand. He doesn't understand why she looks so tired, so weary, but so brave. She was always so brave, his mind supplies to him, but he's barely known her an hour or two. And yet he still knows she is brave.

He's so tired.

Clarissa sits, legs swinging, edge of the light pole.

He feels tired.

“ _there's no, point, dear,_ ” she says. The static feels warm like a sea crashing around in his ears. His mother's voice comes through. He's tired.

“ _when you're off-_ ”

“The little machine has no more heart than a brain,” Alex finishes. Her knuckles are white, again and again.

“ _Just give up, Anna,_ ” they call, solemn sweet. “ _Aren't you tired?_ ”

He is. He is so tired. But neither of them is Anna, and the cough syrup is filling his brain, and this is all there is, isn't there? This island is all there fucking is, and there's cigarette smoke in his stomach.

“I love you,” Alex says.

“I love you too,” he says, because this is his sister and he can feel every pain and hurt in the world and that will never, ever change. Her breath smells like mint gum and copper. He tastes ash.

There’s a radio, somewhere.

There’s always a radio somewhere.

“I’m so tired,” he says.

_Tired_ , sigh the Sunken through the static.

“Tired,” she agrees.

And he closes his eyes and

She closes her eyes and

**They all**

_sink._

“Hey Alex, are you with us?”


End file.
